May
24, 1995 - Mike Harris makes written election promise
to
enact the ODA in his first term and to work personally with the
ODA Committee to develop it.

May
16, 1996 - Ontario Legislature unanimously passes first
of
three resolutions. Sponsored by NDP MPP Marion Boyd, resolution
calls on Harris Government to keep its ODA election promise.

April
22, 1998
- ODA Committee delivers comprehensive brief to
the Legislature including a detailed blueprint for mandatory,
strong and effective legislation.

July
13 to September 1998
- Ontario Government conducts closed,
invitation-only consultations in 8 cities on what to include in the ODA.
Read the letter from the Minister of Citizenship accompanying
the Ontario Government's Discussion Paper on the Ontarians
With
Disabilities Act first released July 13, 1998

October
22, 1998 -
Citizenship Minister Bassett presentsresults of her consultations, using overhead slide presentation,
to ODA Committee representatives, three of whom are blind or
vision-impaired. When ODA Committee was later forced to resort to
the Freedom of Information legislation to compel disclosure of
documents from consultation process, it discovers that the
Minister's presentation was inaccurate and misleading.

November
23, 1998
- Citizenship Minister Bassett introducesBill 83, a 3-page bill which was completely voluntary,
applicable
only to the Ontario government and did not require any barriers
ever to be removed.

September
10, 1999
- ODA Committee presents proposal, prepared
at request of Citizenship Minister Helen Johns, that new ODA
public consultation take the form of an all-party Select
Committee of the Legislature to hold public hearings before a
bill is drafted.

September
11, 1999
- London Free Press quotes Citizenship
Minister Johns stating that a new strong disabilities act is a
"huge priority for me."

September
20-21, 1999
- NDP and Liberal Parties accept proposal
for Select Committee on the ODA to hold province-wide public
hearings. Government never responds to this proposal.

October
21, 1999 - Throne Speech says Government's
"goal" is to
introduce a "new action plan" this session and that consultations
"continue."

November
23, 1999
- On first anniversary of Bill 83's
introduction, Legislature unanimously passes third
of three
resolutions. Sponsored by Liberal Steve Peters, resolution calls
for a "strong and effective" ODA to be passed no later than
November 23, 2001.

Late
January, 2000 -
Minister Johns reveals during meeting with
Liberal MPP Steve Peters that she is already conducting
consultations, claims to be meeting weekly with disability
groups. Her personal calender, later produced when compelled
under Freedom of Information Act, contradicts this.

January
31, 2000
- Liberal Disability Critic Steve Peters
announces that because the Government will not hold open hearings
on what to include in the ODA, the Liberal Party will hold a
province-wide ODA public consultation tour.
Liberals hold public,
accessible hearings in 15 cities in March
2000.

March
25, 2000 -
Minister Johns states on London TV that her
Government had agreed to bring forward ODA action plan by June.
No action plan is announced in June.

September
8, 2000 -
Minister Johns meets with ODA Committee
delegation. She states she is open to considering all options,
for inclusion in ODA and is still holding consultations on ODA.

December
31, 2000
- Year ends with no ODA bill introduced.
ODA Committee succeeded in getting Ontario Government to back off
its leaked timetable to introduce another weak, toothless bill by
December 2000.

March
2, 2001 - Premier Harris Prorogues Ontario Legislature, bringing
legislative ssession to an end, without releasing his promised action plan
on the ODA. This breaks the Government's October 22, 1999 Throne Speech
commitment to release an action plan on the ODA in that session of the
Legislature.

April 19, 2001 -Throne Speech commits to introducing disability
legislation
in this session to address barriers facing persons with disabilities.
No date for its introduction is given. No commitment is given that this
legislation will be strong and effective, or that it will be passed into law
in this session, or ever.